BlockGrid tips: how to keep a run going and build big combos

BlockGrid is simple to learn: drop pieces onto an 8×8 board and clear full rows and columns. The skill is in the planning. These tips come from how the game's rules actually work, so you can use them straight away.

Know the rules that matter

• You're dealt three pieces at a time, and they don't rotate.
• A piece goes down only if every cell is empty and on the board.
• Each tile you place scores 1. Each line you clear scores 10, times a multi-line bonus (×1, ×1.5, ×2, ×3 for 1, 2, 3, or 4 or more lines), times your combo.
• The combo grows by one with every placement that clears a line, up to ×8, and it only breaks after three placements in a row clear nothing, which is one whole tray.
• Emptying the board is a Clean Slate, worth 300 times your combo.
• The run ends when none of the pieces left in your tray fits.

1. Look at all three pieces before you place any

The most common mistake is placing the first piece where it fits and discovering later that the other two don't. Spend a moment seeing where all three could go, in which order. Often the best first move isn't the obvious one.

2. Keep the middle open

Pieces need room. Fill the edges and corners first, and try to keep a large open space in the middle where awkward shapes can land. A board that's full in the middle is a board that ends soon.

3. Clear something every tray

Your combo only breaks after three placements in a row clear nothing. That's your whole tray. So make sure each set of three has at least one clear in it. It's worth taking a slightly worse placement to keep the combo alive, because the combo multiplies everything.

4. Build for multi-line clears

Clearing four or more lines with one piece multiplies your line score by ×3, against ×1 for a single line. A long vertical piece dropped into a column where several rows are nearly full is the classic way to do it. Instead of clearing a row as soon as you can, leave gaps in a few rows lined up the same way, and fill them all at once.

5. Keep one gap for a long piece

Long pieces are awkward, and they're the ones that end runs. Try to leave a straight, empty line, either a row or a column, so a long piece always has somewhere to go.

6. Don't panic-fill

When the board gets crowded, the temptation is to place pieces wherever they fit. Take a breath. A placement that clears a line creates space, so look for one even if it isn't tidy.

7. Save your undos

You have three undos per run, in every mode. They're for real mistakes, such as a piece that blocked everything. Don't spend them on small regrets early in a run, because you'll want them when it counts.

8. Go for a Clean Slate when it's close

If the board is nearly empty and you have the pieces to finish it, going for a Clean Slate adds 300 times your combo. With a high combo, that's a huge bonus. It's worth planning a few moves ahead when the board is clear enough to do it.

9. Don't chase the combo at the cost of the board

A high combo is exciting, but a run that ends early scores nothing more. If you're choosing between a safe move and a risky one, remember the run ends when nothing fits.

Puzzles are a different game

In Puzzles mode there's no score. You're given a board and exactly the pieces you need, and your job is to empty the board. The same planning skills apply, and every puzzle is proven solvable, as we explain in how we built 120 puzzles that can all be solved.

Try it

You can play a small version of BlockGrid right on its page, and see our other calm puzzle games.